Viber is no longer available in Russia. Roskomnadzor has restricted the use of the messenger

In russia, it is customary to replenish the lists of those whom the authorities consider “foreign agents”, as well as to introduce new bans. This time, the messenger Viber, a popular messenger in Ukraine, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and the Philippines, fell under the distribution. Roskomnadzor announced the blocking, citing alleged “violation of the requirements of the law”, which, according to the authorities, is necessary to combat extremism, drugs and terrorist activities.

The reason for the ban was unpaid fines totaling 1.8 million rubles and the refusal to remove “false information about the war in Ukraine”. Roskomnadzor, long known for its censorship and blocking of independent media, uses standard arguments to restrict any resources that do not correspond to the official Kremlin line.

The ban on Viber adds another link in the chain of repressive measures aimed at suppressing freedom of speech and information independence in Russia. Such actions have drawn criticism from the international community, but the Russian authorities continue to tighten control over the Internet.